DaycareDebt: What N.L.'s political leaders are saying about daycare costs
CBC News asked Newfoundland and Labrador's political leaders about the expense of childcare in this province, following our coverage in the DaycareDebt series that looked at debt-ridden parents and their struggles.
With an election around the corner, the politicians now see daycare as a campaign issue.
We asked the leaders of the three political parties to explain their daycare platform, with a two-minute time limit. Check out their response in the video players.
Premier Paul Davis
Premier and Progressive Conservative Leader Paul Davis says his party has already made significant improvements to daycare in the province, including a new operating grant to make daycare cheaper.
"A decade ago there was just over 4,000 spaces in the province and there's just over 7,800 regulated spaces today," he said.
Liberal Leader Dwight Ball
Liberal Leader Dwight Ball says his party is looking forward to discussions with federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau on a national child care strategy, but Ball says it is a policy position that will be in place in his party's election platform.
"There's no question a child care revision provincially is something we will have to do," he says.
New Democrat Party Leader Earle McCurdy
NDP Leader Earle McCurdy says people should vote for his party federally because of its plan to have $15 a day child care across the country, adding that what the province has now is not satisfactory.
"I think we should borrow from best practices in other jurisdictions, but doing it is a priority because families need it and our economy needs those people working productively," he says.
